Green bubble tip anemone ate my percula clown!

[syrinx]

I agree it may be a captivity based response-But in my experience- maroon clowns often feed the anemone- almost always it is the male that does so. I have not seen this behavior out of other clowns- at least that I remember. Its funny how BTAs are the least likely to eat fish- and their host is the most likely to feed the anemone..............

 

[elegance coral]

My clowns do not feed my anemones. I've been doing this for about 25 years and the only time I can remember seeing this is when the clown was fed something that was to large for it to eat. I don't feed my clowns inappropriately sized food, so I don't see this behavior. I do see clowns steal food, or attempt to steal food from anemones though. Even if the food is to large for them to eat. In which case they often just swim off a distance with the food, and spit it out.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...if2zCw&usg=AFQjCNGVwkzqlqgEWJsIlckuvq_WnfjY_Q

A quote from the link above.
"Indeed, aquarists have added much to knowledge of this symbiosis. Many have seen fish bring food to their anemones. This behaviour seems confined to aquaria. The normal diet of clownfishes is small plants and animals that live in the water above the anemone, or algae that grow around it (chapter 4). In nature, they do not encounter large particles of food, so they eat their food where it is found. Feeding large morsels to a fish in an aquarium produces an artifact: the fish, unable to devour the piece immediately, takes it home to work on it in the relative security of its own territory, as is typical of predators that obtain food in large amounts. But the territory in this case consumes the food!"

 

[syrinx]

I dont disagree with the idea it is confined to aquaria- but I feed the maroons flake only- there is no artifact- just a determination of the male. Perhaps he is trying to hide food for himself for later- I doubt it is a nurturing situation- but it is common to see. And not due to oversize food. And to be honest in the ocean it is catch as catch can- a clown eats what he can catch- big or small.

 

[Reefing Newbie]

I have had a male ocellaris clown that assosiated with a smaller LTA, but he only did so at night with the lights out. The reason behind that I don't know(at the time the tank had a 12" handdoni and 2x 1/2" bleached BTAs, from when I purchased the setup). The clown never brought food to the nem or any where else other than where the food was. My three clowns today don't bring food anywhere either. They eat out of the water column(2 baby B&W ocellaris in one tank, female perc awaiting ick treatment and sale). The percula doesn't even have a "safe" place, which may be because she is the only clown. The three stripe that is with her has claimed the rockwork in the tank(will be removed) as his and attacks me if I go near it. I will say that clowns do no feed their nems. They simply bring it to them because it is their home and they feel safe to eat in or near the nem.

 

[Anemone]

Too often we place human emotions and thoughts on our inhabitants. Instead, isn't it more logical for a fish to see a large mass of food, grab it, and go someplace it deems safe to eat it? Instead of trying to eat it all in the open where it or the food may become prey for another fish. If you don't have an anemone, your clownfish will take it to their other "host" or rock cave to injest the food in peace.

This.

Other fish in the damsel complex also grab chunks of food in the aquarium environment and take them back to their crevice or cave to consume. It's just in these other cases of damsel food movement, the crevice or cave doesn't consume the food when the damsel's back is turned.

Kevin

 

[Floowid]

I have an actively spawning pair of Occys hosting a GBTA. They have never fed the anemone, and when I target feed the anemone with mysis, the clowns will steal the food right off the tentacles of the anemone. Maybe my clowns are just jerks, but I have never seen them actually feeding the anemone.

 

[Joe S]

At the risk of getting in trouble for posting on an old thread, ( which by the way is where I get a lot of my information that has made me a better aquarist) I think this is a really interesting argument.

I have been an avid reef keeper for 15+years of which the majority of them I have had a host anemone and clownfish pair (maroons or percula). I am also a biology teacher and have an additional tank in my classroom with one clown and a nem.

During ecology we learn about the different relationships between organisms in their environment and more specifically the symbiotic relationships that exist between organisms. There are two specific symbiotic relationships we cover in class:

Commensalism: One organism benefits and the other is not affected positively or negatively (lichens on a tree)

Mutualism: Both organisms benefit from the relationship "mutually". ( tick eating birds on the back of a zebra- the bird gets a meal and the zebra gets "de-ticked".

What is interesting is the text I use says the relationship between clownfish and anemone is an example of commensalism and even the test that was given to the students had this question with commensalism as the answer.

I teach to the students that science is tentative and through observations information that was once a fact can be changed if new data is available. I then feed the tank at work and tell the students to observe the clown and anemone's behavior. Every time my clown feeds the anemone and directly places the food in his mouth. I ask the students is this commensalism or mutualism. Even though the book suggests one, if we observe the other multiple times which is the correct answer?

My clowns at home ALL do the same thing so I feel this is more of a mutualistic symbiosis. Either way, there is nothing better than watching this relationship in the home aquarium regardless of what we call it!!
Thanks
JIM

While the textbook you use in class claims the symbiosis between giant sea anemones and anemone fishes is a commensalism, the symbiosis is a known mutualism. Unfortunately this info, like many recent biological and ecological advances, is not yet in some textbooks.

 

[NailsInside]

the behavior of grabbing a large chunk of food and "feeding" the anemone is not what it may seem. Too often we place human emotions and thoughts on our inhabitants. Instead, isn't it more logical for a fish to see a large mass of food, grab it, and go someplace it deems safe to eat it? Instead of trying to eat it all in the open where it or the food may become prey for another fish. If you don't have an anemone, your clownfish will take it to their other "host" or rock cave to injest the food in peace.

+1

 

[gdwats]

Was it perhaps a carpet anemone?

 

[raythepilot]

My clowns do not feed my anemones. I've been doing this for about 25 years and the only time I can remember seeing this is when the clown was fed something that was to large for it to eat. I don't feed my clowns inappropriately sized food, so I don't see this behavior. I do see clowns steal food, or attempt to steal food from anemones though. Even if the food is to large for them to eat. In which case they often just swim off a distance with the food, and spit it out.

Since someone else bumped this post I'll just and my 2 cents.

I've kept dozens of clowns and numerous anemone over the last six years and my experience is the same as EC's: The clowns never feed the nem and will steal food from them if they can. I only feed both small size food items that can be easily consumed by the clown fish.